Planting the Plum. 265 
why the same practise prevails in France. This practise is as 
follows :— 
Sprouts growing at the foot of old and large trees, and but few are 
found to each tree, are taken off and planted close together in a bed to 
make them root well, and the ensuing spring planted’ in nursery rows, 
where they are trained like any other trees, and transplanted where to re- 
main, when branched. : 
For this method it is necessary that the parent tree should 
be upon its own roots, else one is apt to get suckers from a wild 
stock. 
PLANTING AND PRUNING. 
As with other trees, there is difference of opinion as to the 
best distance apart for plum trees. The present tendency is 
toward wider planting; not nearer than twenty feet is the usual 
advice, and on rich land, twenty-two or twenty-four feet 1s better. 
The plum, in Califoinia, is a most rapid grower; six to ten 
feet from the bud or graft in a season, and about as much after 
the first winter’s cutting back, is not at all unusual. At this rate 
of progress, then, the tree soon runs up and away, in a spindling, 
sprawling fashion, unless severely cut back for the first few 
years. Neglected trees of some varieties show long, streaming 
branches, arching outward, and exposing the bark to sunburn 
(to which it is very sensitive), breaking the tree to pieces as the 
fruit gets weight, and, even if supported by props, breaking off 
at the bearing of the prop. This condition of the tree can only 
be obviated by low heading and moderate cutting back each 
year, with due regard to limiting the amount of bearing wood 
to get large fruit. For such plum varieties the suggestions on 
forming the tree and subsequent treatment in the chapter on 
pruning will be found helpful. 
Pruning the French Prune—During the last few years, 
growers of the French prune, and other varieties of similar 
growth, have reached substantial agreement as to the best prac- 
tise. The old method of cutting back bearing trees has been 
abandoned by nearly all growers. Cutting back the young tree 
to secure sufficient low branching is followed by thinning of 
shoots from this low head so that the tree shall not become too 
dense or carry too much bearing wood. The strength in the 
head depends upon proper spacing and arrangement of the 
branches as insisted upon in the chapter on pruning; and large, 
well-ripened fruit, which is essential to successful and profitable 
drying, is conditioned upon avoiding excess of branches and ad- 
mission of sufficient light to the tree. 
A rather longer central stem is retained than in the old style, 
and a central stem throughout is admissible if one prefers it and 
does not desire to dispense with it as the first step toward secur- 
18 
